Best Equestrian Camping near Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

I used to camp there every weekend. Even during the cold in the fall. I love it!

My first time staying at Stokes Stat Forest, December 2020. Chose this campsite based on the photos online, the river right there was a big deal. I knew it would be cold and planned accordingly. The days were a good temperature for hiking, the nights were chilly. Once the fire died down, I snuggled up warm in my tent-ception (tent within a tent) and journaled or watched Stargate SG1. I packed up one night early, before the rain. 

I met a group of roof top tent campers and after a long discussion on the pros/cons of RTT, they introduced me to jet boil and dry pack meals. Very quick and delicious. Note for the future. 

I got a visit from a dog who lives nearby. Snuck out of the house without his collar the first day so there was concern initially, but after talking to his owner, the doggo's visits each day were very welcome.

Each campsite has a firepit/ring and picnic table. This site has a platform and a bear box. Never seen one of those before. There is a small lake(large pond?) that feeds the river right next to the campsite. There are benches and a gazebo on the lakeshore. I took a walk around the whole campground to check out other campsites, several are just as secluded, but there are many that are closer together and less private.

Campsite sells fire wood. Pit bathroom across the way, no toilet paper supply during the pandemic, but I came prepared. Water spigot down the road a bit. No sink, no showers.

A few of us rode in to the steam mills campsite on motorcycles and took a couple days to enjoy the mountain air and views.

HAS SHOWERS ... OPEN FIELDS ... NOT MUCH TO DO

Enjoyed a great weekend at Stokes State Forest. We stayed at the campsite at Lake Ocquittunk Area. Campsite was very spacious and had a platform where we were able to fit two tents. There was plenty of space on the site for more tents. Site came with bear proof bin for garbage and fire ring. Very comfortable site, quiet but still with plenty of amenities. Bathrooms and shower were all single stall and very clean, only a 5 min walk from our site. Two water sources nearby as well. We didn’t have direct views of the lake, but were within a minute walk to some quiet views of the lake. Also the location is amazing; there are trail heads near the campsites and longer trails, including access to the Appalachian Trail within a short 10-15 minute drive. You can also rent kayaks and SUP at the main office. Highly recommend Stokes.

We went to Stokes for a one nighter to test out my new truck tent.  We stayed at site 11 on Lake Ocquittunk.  While making reservations it said almost all sites were full but upon arrival the vast majority of sites were empty which made for a quiet/relaxing night.  It was a fair sized site with room for a couple large tents.  Site was located on a small hill next to the lake with the road directly in front and water about 50 yards away and the bathrooms about 100 yards away.  Facilities were clean and stocked so no complaints there.  After packing up we drove down the road and were able to get in a nice 5 mile hike up to the fire tower.  Due to cooler temps there were really no bugs to complain about while camping.

Overall we had a great time and will definitely be coming back for a more extended stay.  If you are looking for more secluded campsites try to get 13 or 14 as they seem to sick back more.  Sites 8-11 are adjacent to the road and in peak times probably have a fair about of foot and vehicle traffic.

I have been here twice and each time has been great. Big spacious sites with alot of privacy.  Hikes are great around here. Bathrooms are clean.  

If you want pictures you can actually go onto Google maps streetview and see every single campsite.

Rented a cabin in November (#009) and again in December (#008) of 2021. I favored Cabin 8, the kitchen and bathroom were separated from the main room.

The cabins are reasonably priced and well-appointed, if a bit rustic. The interior features are just what you'd expect for getting away for the weekend. THe main room has a bunk bed and two twins, a table with benches, two Adirondack chairs, a wood stove set into a fireplace (some cabins still feature a fireplace only, but these two did not), hot/cold water, electric stove with oven, refrigerator, toilet, bathroom sink, mirror, plenty of hooks to hang jackets and coats, storage cabinets in the kitchen area, overhead lighting, wall outlets, and screened windows.

The doors feature deadbolt locks - so be sure to always take the key or set the lock to be unlocked all the time.

The mattresses are vinyl covered, so you can wipe them down with your own sanitizing wipes. There was hand sanitizer in each cabin as well.

Outside is a picnic table, fire ring, and grill. There are hooks near the door to hang a lantern.

The park office is not nearby, about 2(?) miles away. They sell wood, and there are a few road stands near the campground, but that wood is wet. You'll need to find some birch to get your fire going if, like me, you didn't buy wood on the way (plenty of signs for wood as you approach the park office) and the office was closed upon arrival. I bought wood from a house across the street from the entrance to the cabins and it was damp, but in November, I wasn't complaining, it took awhile but I got a nice blaze going. You need that wood stove to heat up the cabin. Turning on the oven is a help, but not a good solution. The wood stove definitely heats the room up nicely. I went through two bundles of wood in one night, and could have used more in the morning. (There's plenty of fallen wood around but it was damp/raining both times I visited). The second time I took six bundles of wood and used them all from Friday to Sunday morning, and 7 would've have been better.

The trails nearby are varied, read the maps (especially NY NJ Trail Conference Maps) to get an idea of difficulty/elevation. We went in November when there was a light rain that turned into a thunderstorm with hail and sleet! It was certainly an adventure. The area was  incredibly peaceful in December with many cabin reservations abandoned due to rain in the forecast. It did rain, but was still a great trip. The photos of the tent sites were taken in December.

Clear streams and lake. Stunning overall. Lake Ocquittunk campground had showers, flush toilets and was popular with families.

Did a small part of the Appalachian trail while there (about 15 miles). Would love to go back when I'm in better shape and try the whole trail.

Stokes is the classic state forest camping, I’ve staying on group sites which are large and lots of fun to bring friends and family. Plenty of room to play games, volleyball, kickball, football are some we enjoy. Great hiking within the park and other local trails close by. Fresh drinking water! It’s so good! Bathrooms and property are clean, Rangers don’t tend to bother visitors, unless causing a issue/ruckus. The park has a no alcohol policy, however if your responsible and out of sight with it, it’s not an issue. Always a fun time at Stokes, lake with fishing, smaller sites and lean-toos are available.

If you’re a novice or experienced stokes is the place for you. They have tent sites, lean to sites, cabin sites, trailer/rv sites, and some of the home owners in the area rent their homes out. Ever since I found stokes about 4 years ago I haven’t went anywhere else. I truly can’t say enough good things about stokes. I generally stay at steammill, definitely check out the map and look at the location of each site. I definitely suggest staying in the outside of the circle the sites are bigger but tbh even when there’s people around it’s still an incredibly Peaceful place. Even to go there just for a hike is worth every second. Pictures posted are of both the site and the woods surrounding the site.

The cabins by the lake are great! Very peaceful. Great hiking. Close to High Point. Dale’s market is great. Sunrise Mountain is a must. Close to Space Farms. Fishing is ok, changes year to year. Showers are nice. Nice place for families.

Sussex county is beautiful. Stokes is such a peaceful campground! We stay in the cabins. It’s great to have the small kitchen when camping with the family. A must see campground.

I stayed at the Gren Anderson Shelter in Stokes State Forest while Section Hiking the Appalachian Trail from the Delaware Water Gap to the NY State Line in November. This shelter offers more amenities than many shelters on the AT including an actual privy. The shelter is your typical structure with three walls and a roof. The site has a bear box, a picnic table, a composting toilet ~100 yards uphill, and a water source ~150 yards downhill (this is a stream and needs to be treated). The shelter did not seem to have a rodent problem but I stayed there in the winter which may have limited their activity. Although the shelter is a couple of miles North of Culvers Gap, there is a road a little to the west and I heard cars drive by every 5 to 10 minutes. The one caution I can offer is that I hiked into camp late and the sun had already gone down. I walked past the shelter and turned around when the trail seemed to disappear. The shelter is to the right while hiking down the spur off of the AT.

There are four campgrounds that are all pretty different, we stayed at Shotwell across from the pond. For the most part, each campsite has its own porta potty or it shared with a couple other sites. At the entrance of the campground, there is a bathhouse with running water, bathrooms, and potable water. We stayed in one of the RV areas across the pond. It was peaceful to hear the frogs chirping at night, but definitely didn’t think about how many more bugs the pond would bring, probably wouldn’t stay at that specific spot again even though it’s really pretty. Most of the campsites were very rocky, but you can find some that have a little bit of grass. We came on a Friday night. Everyone was up pretty late, but was not crazy loud. The rest of the weekend it seemed like everyone’s simmered down. The campground was full of mostly families. If you wanted to shower, you would have to head to the group campsite not too far but you need to drive. We don’t typically expect to have a campgrounds with a ton of amenities. Potable water and a toilet is really all we need. Overall, it was a great time gorgeous park. Also took a few pictures of the cabins in Shotwell. I wouldn’t personally rent one, but I guess if your winter camping it has a little fireplace and will keep you dry and somewhat warm.